Many of the Feeds for our dogs and cats have among their ingredients “animal by-products” what are they exactly? are they good or not? Should I choose a feed that does not carry them?

Definitely I would not give animal by-products to my cats and dogs. for nothing in the world. I’m going to tell you what exactly are they is dirty and why they are not recommended at all. I also tell you options that do not carry them and that are recommended for our furry friends.

What are animal by-products and why you should NOT give them to your pet

The term animal byproducts is a euphemism to refer to leftovers from the meat industry. feed manufacturers they use those words to make you think their pet food has meat in it chicken, pig or cow.

On the contrary, nothing is further from carrying meat (and therefore animal proteins ) of good quality. Some feeds are filled with what humans do not want to eat. Are you going to give your pet the remains that you do not want to eat? No you should not.

What are animal by-products?

Animal by-products or by-products of animal origin are the waste generated in the production of human food. (and even in the manufacture of other pet foods). That is to say, they are the worst of what we already do not want: leftovers.

Common components of animal by-products:

• Bird’s beaks, feet, nails and feathers,
• viscera and visceral fat,
• heads,
• bones crushed
• and any other kind of waste animal.

Reading the list you quickly realize that it makes no sense to feed our beloved pets a food with animal by-products.

We spend money on veterinary, in care, in supplements and medicines, in toys and, of course, in feeding. all because we want to see them happy and content and that they live many years, nevertheless, with the feed or the sweets that we give them every day we may be causing them harm at the level of health unintentionally, due to sheer ignorance!

Are animal byproducts legal?

In fact, animal by-products can be used in the manufacture of pet food as long as they pass national and European certifications. That is, these remains they need to have quality standards imposed by Europe and controlled by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment.

Even so, it is completely legal to strain these animal remains that have no nutritional value into our feed. Just so you think you’re buying a food with real meat.

If the regulations are complied with in the slaughterhouse and the treatment is adequate, then these by-products of animal origin are accepted by law.

Of course, that they are legal does not mean that they are good and healthy, as it happens with other products that humans manufacture and consume, such as tobacco or ultra-processed products. Today the supermarket is full of ultra-processed foods but, luckily, we are learning to avoid them now consume more every day royal food (also for our pets).

This is why 90% of industry products contain animal by-products

The only reason most cat and dog food manufacturers use animal by-products is production costs.. Do not have the slightest doubt about it. If they were concerned about the health of our pets, they would not use them. Unfortunately, however, most They want to earn as much money as possible. for our puppies and kittens to improve their health and live longer. What a pity!

That a company tries to make money is logical. Nevertheless, what is unethical is that they hide their real content or that they have the little shame of advertise on the front that your food is super healthy when the ingredient list says otherwise.

But don’t get irritated, I’ll tell you a little more about the subject and we’ll get to see you right away Very good and recommended alternatives of food for dogs and cats that do not contain animal remains.

And the vegetable by-products? Are they bad too?

It is true that plant by-products receive less attention than animal by-products. They also have less negative press.

In fact, it is logical; as are in a lower percentage in food products for our best friends. Also, they are not so harmful, as the discarded part of vegetables for human consumption sometimes it is good nutritionally.

We talk about rice bran, fruit pulp or wheat germ.

Even so, it is infinitely better to give your pet a food that has vegetables and whole vegetables. For this reason, if you have at home a regular feed (such as Purina or Royal Canin) that does not have by-products of animal origin but does have vegetables, could be suitable for the health of your dog or cat.

The 4 reasons why you should NOT give your dog or cat animal by-products (even if they have protein)

By now I’m sure it’s clear to you that you should not give animal by-products to your pet. Nevertheless, it is convenient to review in detail the usual problems caused by these ingredients, since perhaps your pet has experienced them (or is going through them now), and so you will know what their origin is and how to solve them.

The dilemma can be created when you see advertising for some pet foods. But it does say that it has a lot of protein! Worst of all, it’s true…

Two foods may have the same amount of protein: 20%, for example. However, that does not mean that the bioavailability is the same in both cases, that is, the proteins that your pet can metabolize from that food.

For example , beef has a digestibility rate of 93% and bioavailability of 100%, while by-products of animal origin derived from beef do not reach 30%.. Consequently, 70% goes out the same as it goes in, and you are paying for nothing.

Namely, If you give your dog a feed that obtains its protein from animal by-products, it will not be able to digest more than 30% of the nutrients, being able to induce a high protein deficit, and even causing malnutrition.

That real protein deficit (although not on paper or on advertising) translates into 4 very clear reasons why you should not give animal by-products to your cat or your dog. Let’s see the consequences:

They cause loss and weakness in hair and nails

Don’t you feel sorry to see a dog or cat with dull or brittle hair ? On the other hand, when we see one with its shiny and dense mane, we drool. The difference is in the nutrient quality that they take every day.

what Your dog has bald spots on the body and you can’t find the explanation ? It is most likely a matter of your diet. Check the feed labeling!

Vitamins and minerals are critical for the good health of a cat’s coat or nails.. It is not only an aesthetic problem, the hair will be uglier, but also the nails will weaken, splitting or cracking when they need them. It’s it will create insecurity in the animal, which feels limited and may become depressed or apathetic. It is a real shame that this happens only through food without many knowing that it is due to animal by-products.

So that my cat Kimi has strong and vibrant hair and nails, I use this specific food for long-haired cats. It is The best I think I have found for cats.

WE RECOMMEND: ACANA Wild Prairie

Biologically Appropriate Ratios:

• 75% meat and fish of different animals,
• 25% fruits and vegetables,
• grain free, as we usually recommend.

WE DO NOT RECOMMEND: PURINE

We do not recommend the normal feed that most people buy because they see it in department stores or supermarkets. You may see normal Purina even at the vet.

If you want to buy this brand check out the chicken or beef options from Purina’s Beyond sub-brand, you will see that they have MUCH better ingredients than the usual versions. Those are recommended.

They are a source of allergies and food intolerances

You frequently contact us to tell us that You think your dog or cat has an allergy and you want to know the best way to solve it. And we have realized something: in many cases the feed contained animal by-products They are not recommended for your pet.

After discussing it with our trusted veterinarians, they have confessed to us that they are seeing more and more cases of allergies and food intolerances that, how could it be otherwise, disappear when switching to a feed that does not contain animal by-products.

Thus, if your dog has allergic reactions such as skin rashes or bald spots on the head, check the ingredients of the feed or wet food that you are giving it. You may save yourself a lot of headaches and worries.

If still, the problem continues you can try giving them a hypoallergenic feed. My recommendation is that, although the label indicates that it is hypoallergenic, you also check the ingredients to avoid containing animal by-products.

Cause constipation or diarrhea for your pet

Constipation is a fairly common problem in dogs., while diarrhea is more common in cats . However, it can also be the other way around and, whatever the case, your pet’s digestive system not working as it should is cause for concern. It must be prevented and solved..

On one hand we have constipation. To help solve it, it is essential that increase the amount of water your pet drinks. In this way you will achieve that the stool softens and can be normal.

A simple way to achieve this is adding broth (homemade or tetabrix) to your dog’s water either giving more wet food for your cat . However, you should also check that the feed they take does not have animal by-products and, if this is the case, eliminate it; since probably will be the source of constipation problems.

On the other is the diarrhea. It’s about a frequent problem both in cats and in dogs when the feed contains animal by-products.

The stomach of our pets complains before the inability to digest food and, consequently, it defends itself by creating super liquid feces to evict quickly. When this happens, he is annoyed by the part that touches us, but he thinks that the animal takes the worst, since diarrhea causes stomach pain and an insecurity that can affect them on a mental level. Eliminate animal by-products to end diarrhea!

The best thing is to change your feed and thus you will avoid diarrhoea, but if you have arrived late you can fight it with a little wet feed. This is the one I use when my pets have a hard time with their tummy.

WE RECOMMEND: GASTRO wet food from Royal Canin Royal Canin Gastro Intestinal Moderate Calorie Veterinary Diet for cats
(low in fat and very easy to digest) Best price at ZOOPLUS

They are not good for your health!

Ludwig Feuerbach left a phrase for history in 1850: “we are what we eat”. Definitely, We can also apply this famous quote to our pets, since they are also what they put in their mouths.

At the health level, it is not logical to feed your cat or dog with beaks, feathers, nails or offal. No one who loves their cat or dog would consider it. Nevertheless, when we read “animal by-products” it does not seem like a drama at all, since it does not sound bad. We believe that it is not that bad. And it is.

We must think about the health of our pets in the short, medium and long term. In the case at hand, avoiding animal by-products will mainly have a short-term impact, while other measures How to use chondroprotectors to improve joint health in dogs either prevent frequent kidney problems in cats They are future measurements. And no less important, everything adds up when it comes to the well-being of our friends.

Every time more diseases of the stomach, intestines and colon are associated (including cancer) to continuous feeding with animal by-products.

This is He thinks that I give to my dogs. The truth is that after many years enjoying his company and licking, I am very glad to have invested in his health. I can’t imagine what I would feel if something happened to them for not giving them the right feed.

Another advantage is, without a doubt, save you some very high bills at the vet.

WE RECOMMEND: TASTE OF THE WILD

• animal protein,
• grain free Y
• enriched with taurine,
• $4 per kilo.

So you can avoid buying feed with animal by-products

By now you are probably clear: It is not advisable to buy a feed with by-products of animal origin for your pet.

Nevertheless, Choosing to buy the ideal food is not so easy. Brands know all the tricks to hide the bad and show you only those things that interest them. How can you avoid falling into their traps and get it right when buying your dog or cat food?

Check the list of ingredients in detail and be careful with the order

This is an excellent example of how some companies in the animal food industry act. The packaging on the front is wonderful, it gives the impression of a healthy product for your pet, with a content of more than 70% meat. But what meat? The worst!

On the other hand, the order of ingredients it is also very important. By law, all food manufacturers are required to list them in order of their presence in the final product. Namely, the one that comes out first is in a higher percentage than the second, and so on until the last.

If animal by-products appear first, we are literally facing a food that is harmful and detrimental to the well-being of the animal. On the other hand, if they appear in the last places, it is possibly only 2 or 3% of the product (and that hardly has a negative impact on health, since most of that food will be meat or fish with good bioavailability).

Maybe you can see it better with a practical example.:

• Bad ingredient list: animal by-products, vegetable by-products, cornmeal, dehydrated chicken, dyes.
• Reasonable ingredient list: chicken, dried salmon, potato, sweet potato, dried beef, animal by-products.

In the second case, the by-products will be, at most, 5% of the food. It is an amount that will not have much impact. You can buy that product, you don’t have to be an extremist. Though, if we can avoid them, better.

However, in the first example, being the first ingredients, the proportion will surely be higher than 30% or 40%. The order of the factors alters the product.

Run away from the colors in the food for dogs and cats

If I have learned anything throughout all these years, it is that you have to flee from colors. In other words: the fewer colors in the feed that you give your dog or cat, the better the food will be.

For that same reason the cheapest supermarket feeds have colors, to get attention that way, since they can’t do it with their quality. Do children’s breakfast cereals sound like an example to you? Exactly, it’s the same.

A feed for dogs or cats in conditions has a uniform brown color. The difference is evident when you see it in a photo, right?

Another reason to do without this type of dry food is the use of artificial colors. They also don’t do your best friend’s health any good and should be avoided if possible.

More expensive does not mean better

There is a widespread belief in society that something more expensive will be better. And it is not always so. Or at least with pet food it’s not.

When you buy a bag of feed, you not only pay for its ingredients, you also pay for the marketing or advertising that that brand does to sell you that food.

In other words, there may be two bags of animal feed that cost $30, however, perhaps one has allocated 50% to advertising and 50% to product quality, while another has allocated 5% to advertising and another 95%. to the product. Perhaps that explains why there are brands that are always present on the shelves of veterinary clinics and others there is no way to find them other than on the Internet., TRUE?

You can save by avoiding expensive and poor quality brands. read the label of the packages, read articles like this one to know the contents of your pet’s food. You will choose the best feed for your dog companion and you will save many unwanted visits to the vet.

Practical example in dogs: feed with by-products vs. I think natural

To understand all these concepts, there is nothing more effective than taking two highly popular products and comparing them. On the one hand we have the Compy dog ​​food that is sold in Mercadona and, on the other, the feed for dogs Taste of the Wild High Prairie (one of our favorite brands):

Comparison between feed for dogs:

• Ingredients I think Compy Original Mercadona: cereals, meat and animal by-products, by-products of vegetable origin, mineral substances, oils and fats, yeasts.
• Ingredients I think Taste of the Wild: bison, dried lamb, dried chicken, egg, sweet potatoes, peas, potatoes, rapeseed oil, roasted bison, roasted deer, tomato pulp, oceanic fish meal, chicory root extract, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, cassava extract, dried fermentation products of Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus plantarum, fermented dry extract of Trichoderma longibrachiatum, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Vitamin E, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Potassium Iodide, Thiamine Monohydrate (Vitamin B1), Manganese Oxide, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin H, Pantothenate calcium, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin D, vitamin B2, folic acid.

The difference hurts to read it. In the case of Compy Original feed we can observe that the first three ingredients are not recommended for the health of your pet: cereals (it does not need them), meats and animal by-products (harmful to health) and by-products of vegetable origin (more waste).

Secondly, in Taste of the Wild feed, the first ingredient is bison. The following are dehydrated animal meats; and then we have vegetables and vegetables also whole, with all its vitamins. We can criticize rapeseed oil, but it is already in a minimal proportion. They also incorporate all kinds of vitamins, minerals and probiotics for dogs .

WE RECOMMEND: Taste of the Wild High Prairie

Practical example in cats: feed with by-products vs. I think natural

Let’s pass on to our friends the pussycats. The practical example that we are going to do in this case is similar to that of dogs, however, it turns out even more critical because the cat is a strictly carnivorous animal. Namely, need animal protein to survive and cannot be fed with other types of food.

Comparison between feed for cats:

• Ingredients I think Mercadona Compy Adult Cats: cereals (4% rice), meat and animal by-products (min. 4% beef in veal croquettes), oils and fats (min. 3% poultry fat), by-products of vegetable origin (min. 1% lignocellulose ), vegetable protein extracts, vegetables (min. 4% legumes in vegetable croquettes), mineral substances, yeast walls (350mg/kg).
• Ingredients I think Acana Prairie: fresh chicken (9%), fresh turkey (9%), fresh chicken giblets (liver, heart, kidney) (9%), dried chicken (8%), dried turkey (8%), dried herring (8%), whole green peas, red lentils, chickpeas, chicken fat (5%), fresh whole egg (4%), fresh walleye (4%), fresh lake trout (4%), fresh turkey giblets (liver, heart, kidney) (4%), green lentils, pinto beans, whole yellow peas, pollock oil (2% ), sun-cured alfalfa, chicken cartilage (1%), brown seaweed, fresh zucchini, butternut squash, fresh parsnips, kale greens, fresh spinach, fresh mustard greens, turnip greens, fresh carrots, fresh apples red delicious, fresh bartlett pears, freeze-dried liver (chicken and turkey) (0.1%), cranberries, cranberries, chicory root, turmeric, milk thistle, burdock root, lavender, marshmallow root, rose fruit.

The difference is creepy again. The first food is sold as ideal to have “healthy and shiny hair”, to improve “heart and eye health” and indicate that it improves “intestinal well-being”. I’m afraid that’s not possible when the ingredients are cereals (for a carnivorous animal), animal by-products, oils and fats, and vegetable by-products.. To start crying.

On the other hand, the food with which we compare it It has nothing to do with it: fresh chicken, fresh turkey, whole green peas, lentils, chickpeas… it is a festival of proteins, vitamins and minerals that can be assimilated. And vegetables, which you don’t need, will help your digestive tract well thanks to their fiber.

WE RECOMMEND: Acana Prairie

Conclusion: your pet deserves the best (and in its food too)

I have many friends with dogs and cats. They all agree on something when the subject of our pets comes up: « At the vet I spend whatever it takes, whatever it is and even if I have to deprive myself of food ». Surely you have heard it too!

It’s cool. That we are willing to do anything for our friends is a positive attitude. However, sometimes we are not aware that The best thing for our pet is not to spend thousands of dollars at the vet, but spend 50 times less to improve your diet today. And that way we won’t have to rush to the vet tomorrow.

A diet without animal by-products (or reducing them to the minimum possible) is essential for the well-being and health of your dog or cat. That is the true love that we must have for them, give them the best to eat every day, and thus avoid many problems and diseases.

Do you want to leave out animal by-products? Don’t throw away the feed, take it to an animal shelter, they tend to have quite a few resources and although it is not the healthiest, it is certainly better than none. They will be grateful to you!